Join Poetry Memoir, taught by poet and educator Amanda Williamsen!

Amanda’s work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Mezzo Cammin, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Baltimore Review, Midwestern Gothic, and other journals. A graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, she has been an educator for thirty years for young people and adults. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee and a past poet laureate of Cupertino, California. Currently she’s working on a poetry memoir about her youth in rural Ohio.

This ongoing series of classes is free, and open to the public and to adults of all ages (with $25 annual membership fee).

Click link to sign up and for the center's calendar: https://myactivecenter.com/activity/1346:1/13264

Presented in partnership with Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN) as part of Handwork 2026 and National Poetry Month.

At this evening of poetry and storytelling with poet Ricardo Ruiz, he will explore the lived experiences of his Mexican farmworker community in Eastern Washington. Ruiz’s debut collection, We Had Our Reasons: Poems by Ricardo Ruiz and Other Hardworking Mexicans from Eastern Washington, won the 2023 Washington State Book Award for Poetry and presents vivid, bilingual poems created in collaboration with 13 members of his community. Through his work, Ruiz brings to light stories of migration, labor, and resilience, honoring voices that have too often gone unheard.

Click link for more info: https://www.biartmuseum.org/event/ricardo-ruiz-poetry-reading-and-reception/

Sunday, April 26th from 2-3:30 p.m. Poetry Corners exhibit and anthology poets read their works. Followed by Poetry Corners Anthology book sale and reception.

Washington state poet laureate Derek Sheffield will be joining Bainbridge Island poet laureate Erin Malone in poetry discussion!

There will be time for Q&A and book signing. Afterwards there will be a Waterfront Park poetry walk with the poet laureates!

Derek Sheffield is the 8th poet laureate of Washington State (2025-2027). His books include Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry, winner of a 2024 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, Not for Luck, selected by Mark Doty for the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize, Through the Second Skin, runner-up for the Emily Dickinson First Book Award, and Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance, and Democracy. A two-time finalist for the Washington State Book Award, his other awards include the Foreword Reviews Indies Book of the Year in Nature Writing and the James Hearst Poetry Prize judged by Li-Young Lee. He teaches at Wenatchee Valley College and Western Colorado University, edits poetry for Terrain.org, and can often be found in the woods along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range near Leavenworth, Washington.

Location: Bainbridge Island Senior & Community Center, 370 Brien Dr SE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Join Poetry Memoir, taught by poet and educator Amanda Williamsen!

Amanda’s work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Mezzo Cammin, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Baltimore Review, Midwestern Gothic, and other journals. A graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, she has been an educator for thirty years for young people and adults. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee and a past poet laureate of Cupertino, California. Currently she’s working on a poetry memoir about her youth in rural Ohio.

This ongoing series of classes is free, and open to the public and to adults of all ages (with $25 annual membership fee).

Click link to sign up and for the center's calendar: https://myactivecenter.com/activity/1346:1/13264

"Join Janee Baugher to celebrate a narrative portrait of the life of painter Andrew Wyeth on April 21st at 6:30 PM. Influenced by Wyeth paintings, Baugher compiles a stunning collection of poetry that allow the reader to cross the boundary between art and the written word."

For more info https://www.eagleharborbooks.com/events/4651920260421

Join Bainbridge Island's 2024 Poet of the Year and author of Superbloom, Makaela Smith, for a poetry workshop at Bainbridge Gardens!

Call 206-842-5888 or email info@bainbridgegardens.com to register. Class fee is $10.

Presented in partnership with Humanities Washington as part of Handwork 2026 and National Poetry Month.

Author Tara Campbell invites participants to explore art through creative writing while engaging with selected works from BIMA’s Crafting Futures: Emerging Artists Invitational exhibition, part of Handwork 2026.

Click link for more info: https://www.biartmuseum.org/event/finding-yourself-in-art-ekphrastic-poetry-workshop-with-tara-campbell/

Welcome guest readers Kary Wayson!

Kary Wayson is the author of two collections of poems—The Slip (Burnside Review, 2020) and American Husband (Ohio State University Press, 2009), and a chapbook, Dog & Me (LitRag Press, 2004). Her poems have appeared in Oxford Poetry, The Nation, Narrative, FIELD, Image, The Volta, The Best American Poetry, and Pushcart Prize anthologies. She lives in Port Orchard, WA.

Hosted by poet laureate Erin Malone!

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+ *Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served. *Location: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

This informal class is a companion to the Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program's Third Thursday open mic readings. We'll study the work of featured guest readers Kary Wayson and John Okrent, with the goal of deepening our skills for close-reading of poems and conversations about them.

Lead by poet laureate Erin Malone in the BARN Writers Studio. Bring a notebook, pen, and your curiosity!

To register go to https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/AssnFe/ev.asp?ID=5326486

New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Beautiful and renowned poet Maggie Smith presents her newest collection of poems A Suit or a Suitcase in conversation with our very own Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Erin Malone on March 25th. Smith’s work is as lyrical as it is alive, and this event will be perfect for writers and lovers of poetry.

Click here for more info https://www.eagleharborbooks.com/events/4399120260325

"Develop a daily practice of poetry writing through class exercises, daily prompts, and participating in class readings."

To find out more about this writing series and to register click here— https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=5326114&_gl=1*tac2cd*_gcl_au*OTQ5NTE1NDg1LjE3NjM3NDUyNTE.*_ga*MTM2NjExNzMxNS4xNzYzNzQ1MjUx*_ga_T23DJFHLRZ*czE3NzA0MzUwODAkbzQ4JGcxJHQxNzcwNDM1MTg4JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

"Writing in the Garden with Emily Nemens

Join Creative Resident Emily Nemens for this generative workshop looking at examples of fiction and poetry that take place in, and gain energy from, gardens. After reading and discussing works from writers like Virginia Woolf and Ross Gay, try your hand at writing your own creative “garden works.” Please be ready to participate in class-wide discussion and try your hand at writing while exploring Bloedel Reserve. Sharing your new work is not required, but encouraged, and we’ll save time for Q&A.

Emily is the author of The Cactus League (2020) and Clutch (2026)."

WHERE

Meet at the Japanese Guest House

Click here to register https://bloedelreserve.org/event/writing-in-the-garden/

Welcome guest readers Bill Carty and Paul Hlava Ceballos!

Bill Carty lives in Seattle and is the author of We Sailed on the Lake (Bunny Presse/Fonograf Editions, 2023) and Huge Cloudy (Octopus Books, 2019), which was longlisted for The Believer Book Award. He is Web Editor at Poetry Northwest and teaches at Edmonds College and the Hugo House.

Paul Hlava Ceballos is the author of banana [ ], which won the AWP Donald Hall Prize for Poetry, and the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award. banana [ ] also was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and the Washington State Book Award. His collaborative chapbook, Banana [ ] / we pilot the blood, shares pages with Quenton Baker and Christina Sharpe. He currently is the poetry editor of the Seattle Met and practices echocardiography.

Hosted by poet laureate Erin Malone!

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+ *Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served. *Location: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

"Develop a daily practice of poetry writing through class exercises, daily prompts, and participating in class readings."

To find out more about this writing series and to register click here— https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=5326114&_gl=1*tac2cd*_gcl_au*OTQ5NTE1NDg1LjE3NjM3NDUyNTE.*_ga*MTM2NjExNzMxNS4xNzYzNzQ1MjUx*_ga_T23DJFHLRZ*czE3NzA0MzUwODAkbzQ4JGcxJHQxNzcwNDM1MTg4JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

This informal class is a companion to the Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program's Third Thursday open mic readings. We'll study the work of featured guest readers Bill Carty and Paul Hlava Ceballos, with the goal of deepening our skills for close-reading of poems and conversations about them.

Lead by poet laureate Erin Malone in the BARN Writers Studio. Bring a notebook, pen, and your curiosity!

To register go to https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/AssnFe/ev.asp?ID=5326486

Free and open to the public, cash and check donations accepted at the door.

https://centrum.org/event/poetry-on-the-salish-sea-free-public-reading/

Join Poetry Surprise, taught by poet and educator Amanda Williamsen!

Amanda’s work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Mezzo Cammin, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Baltimore Review, Midwestern Gothic, and other journals. A graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, she has been an educator for thirty years for young people and adults. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee and a past poet laureate of Cupertino, California. Currently she’s working on a poetry memoir about her youth in rural Ohio.

This ongoing series of classes is free, and open to the public and to adults of all ages (with $25 annual membership fee).

Click link to sign up and for the center's calendar: https://myactivecenter.com/activity/1346:1/13264

"Develop a daily practice of poetry writing through class exercises, daily prompts, and participating in class readings."

To find out more about this writing series and to register click here— https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=5326114&_gl=1*tac2cd*_gcl_au*OTQ5NTE1NDg1LjE3NjM3NDUyNTE.*_ga*MTM2NjExNzMxNS4xNzYzNzQ1MjUx*_ga_T23DJFHLRZ*czE3NzA0MzUwODAkbzQ4JGcxJHQxNzcwNDM1MTg4JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

"Develop a daily practice of poetry writing through class exercises, daily prompts, and participating in class readings."

To find out more about this writing series and to register click here— https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=5326114&_gl=1*tac2cd*_gcl_au*OTQ5NTE1NDg1LjE3NjM3NDUyNTE.*_ga*MTM2NjExNzMxNS4xNzYzNzQ1MjUx*_ga_T23DJFHLRZ*czE3NzA0MzUwODAkbzQ4JGcxJHQxNzcwNDM1MTg4JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

Join Poetry Surprise, taught by poet and educator Amanda Williamsen!

Amanda’s work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Mezzo Cammin, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Baltimore Review, Midwestern Gothic, and other journals. A graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, she has been an educator for thirty years for young people and adults. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee and a past poet laureate of Cupertino, California. Currently she’s working on a poetry memoir about her youth in rural Ohio.

This ongoing series of classes is free, and open to the public and to adults of all ages (with $25 annual membership fee).

Click link to sign up and for the center's calendar: https://myactivecenter.com/activity/1346:1/13264

Calling all bird enthusiasts... on Thursday February 26th at 6:30 PM editor Susan Rich will be talking all things Washington State Birds to celebrate her new collection Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds. A mixture of poetry, short fiction, memoir, art, and thoughtful bird facts, this anthology is perfect for experiened and novice birders.

Click for more info: https://www.eagleharborbooks.com/events/4273020260226

Bainbridge Island Press Announces 2nd Annual Bainbridge Island Poetry Awards Celebration Reception at Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island, WA

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | Doors at 6:30 PM

For more information click here- https://bainbridgeislandpress.substack.com/p/bainbridge-island-press-announces

Welcome guests Alan Chong Lau and Susie Kozawa!

Alan Chong Lau is a poet and visual artist based in Seattle. He is the co-author of The Buddha Bandits Down Highway 99 with Garrett Hongo and Lawson Inada. He is also the author of Songs For Jadina and Blues And Greens: A Produce Worker's Journal. He serves as the arts editor for the International Examiner, a Seattle-based newspaper that covers news, features and the arts for the Northwest's Asian American community. As an artist, he is represented by ArtXContemporary Gallery in Seattle.

Alan is going to be joined by a sound artist, Susie Kozawa, who will perform while he reads. Susie, a sound artist, composer and performer, works mostly with sound collages and site-specific installations, in which the gathering of sounds is a primary activity. She explores different acoustic spaces using musical instruments she makes out of found objects, kelp, modified toys and human voice.

Alan Lau has been her longest time collaborator.

Her most recent project “Tokio Florist Project” was an immersive three dimensional audio/visual installation at Jack Straw Cultural Center’s New Media Gallery in 2024. This was an exploration of the sonic personality of the house she grew up in.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+ *Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served. *Location: Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

"Harrison, the iconic American poet, novelist, gourmand, outdoorsman, and larger‑than‑life literary force behind Legends of the Fall, Dalva, and True North remains one of the most versatile and authentic voices in contemporary American literature. Often mentioned alongside Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, Harrison is beloved for his rare ability to bridge high‑art poetry with gritty, muscular storytelling, and for the reverent, almost spiritual way he wove the American landscape into his work.

His literary legacy is one product of his outsized personal life – his complicated relationships with key people, deep friendships with other authors and artists, legendary appetites for food, drink, and travel experiences, and his focus on the natural world – all detailed in this important biography.

Todd will be joined in conversation by Jamie Harrison Potenberg, Jim Harrison’s daughter and an acclaimed writer in her own right. Together, they’ll explore Harrison’s writing, legacy, and the extraordinary life that shaped both."

For more info: https://www.eagleharborbooks.com/events/4367220260218

This informal class focuses on thoughtful conversation and close-reading skills with optional take-home writing prompts.

Taught by our poet laureate, Erin Malone!

To register go to https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/AssnFe/ev.asp?ID=5326113

Join Poetry Surprise, taught by poet and educator Amanda Williamsen!

Amanda’s work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Mezzo Cammin, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Baltimore Review, Midwestern Gothic, and other journals. A graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, she has been an educator for thirty years for young people and adults. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee and a past poet laureate of Cupertino, California. Currently she’s working on a poetry memoir about her youth in rural Ohio.

This ongoing series of classes is free, and open to the public and to adults of all ages (with $25 annual membership fee).

Click link to sign up and for the center's calendar: https://myactivecenter.com/activity/1346:1/13264

Eagle Harbor Book Co. is hosting two of the Pacific Northwest's most celebrated poets, Kathleen Flenniken and Laura Da' for an ebening of poetry. They'll share from their powerful new collections, Dressing in the Dark and Severalty, and engage in a conversation about their work that promises to be both profound and moving.

For more information: https://www.eagleharborbooks.com/event/celebrated-washington-state-poets-kathleen-flenniken-and-laura-da-share-their-stunning-new